After Ends Break
by Mairead Lee
Summary: It is after the hundred years war. And it is after Zuko had a fatal misunderstanding--one that caused the previous Fire Lady Mai to run into the arms of Jet. But when a mysteriously familiar stranger distrubs Mai's peaceful forest fort repose...


"There…" Her eyes flickered where he pointed. One person--a guy--striding closer…closer…

"Take him?" she asked. His brows furrowed and he pressed his lips into a thin line. He could only see the top of the man's head. Who knew if there were weapons underneath the robes? One glance over at his partner told him the answer: it didn't matter. It didn't matter if the guy had weapons, because his partner could definitely take him out no matter what. He nodded slightly when she raised an eyebrow, and in the sweep of a second she was gone.

Her red robes flickered between the gaps in the leaves; sometimes the glint of a needle would flash through the branches. She bounded closer to the man--yes, it was definitely a man--and curled her fingers back and aimed at his throat and--

"Hey!"

Never before had she crashed. But for some reason, the man did something that made her loose her footing and they tumbled together to the ground in a tangled mess. She became aware of a faint tingling on her arm…_shoot, I cut myself…_ Her vision became blurry…tears…she looked up into the man's face. He was familiar, somehow--if he just moved that piece of hair from out of his eyes, maybe she would be able to tell who it was…there was a glint of metal, and she knew it wasn't one of her own knives. _Or maybe it is, used against me_, she thought darkly. Her breath faltered and she searched the sky from underneath the hem of her hood. _Where…where is he…?_

She felt that same hood being peeled back off of her face. She thought she heard her name being whispered before her eyes went black.

"_Jet. I don't know…"_

"_Believe me, hey--really. I've got swords, you've got these amazing little weapons--we'd be able to take out anybody!"_

Her eyes grew lighter. Hadn't she lived this scene before…hadn't she already agreed to it…?

"Mai?"

Jet. She knew he had come back…killed the man and took her home… She lifted her head up and everything became lighter--blurry, still, but lighter.

"Je--_damn_, ow, what--?"

Shushing. He was shushing her. Why…? She peered down at herself, trying to find where the pain was coming from. There--on her side--bandages wrapped up her waist, bloody stale bandages. Wouldn't Jet change them…?

"Mai--I can't believe this is you," the voice said. _Jet…_it wasn't Jet, she knew then. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared straight into a face she once held very dear.

"You."

Once upon a time, back when everything was still proper and horrid, she knew him. Mai knew him--she didn't just know him, she was friends with him. More than friends--she loved him.

But now, when her eyes traced Zuko's face, she couldn't summon any of the old feelings…why was that? Was it because of the pain he caused her--

He hugged her. "Ow," was all she could moan.

"Oh--right. Oh, my gosh, sorry, I forgot--"

"It's okay." Polite conversation, that's what it was. They both stared silent for awhile, neither wanting to talk fist. Well, Mai didn't want to talk at _all. _Espesically when she saw that the room she was in was very familiar--the red banners and the gold trimmings, all of which screamed _position, titles, proper, _and _fire nation_.

Zuko suddenly brought his face closer to Mai's. He noticed how she was a little different--her skin was a little ruddier and her eyes were a little clearer and her face was more slender. Her hair was different, too--it was normal. Natural. _Long._

He took a deep breath. "Here me out on this," he whispered softly into her face. He could blabber on for all Mai cared. Let him talk for eternity. It would go through one of her perfect white ears, pass cleanly through her mind, and exit out the other side.

"I…I made a mistake."

_You sure did, Zuko. You made a lot of mistakes, _Mai thought bitterly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know who you were until after I took off the hood…does it hurt badly?"

_Yes. Oh, yes, Zuko, it does hurt. My waist is bleeding all over your blessed bed. And it hurts like _hell_._

"But…damn, I'm so bad at explaining things. But I just want you to know…to know that I missed you. I missed you so bad, damn it!"

_I bet you missed me, Zuko. I bet you missed all of the good-morning kisses and the hugs and how soft and melted I was when I was around you. You miss being loved, is all. You miss being worshipped--damn it, don't you have a whole nation worshipping you? _"What the hell would I matter to you?" Mai hissed. She suddenly knew the look on Zuko's face--that look right before he--

"Mmph!" She wanted to yell many things--one of which consisted of a string of violent curses--but couldn't because Zuko's mouth was suddenly on her own. She didn't give in--heck, she would have kicked him off but her side hurt too bad. She fingered around for her throwing weapons and realized that they were all taken away. How convenient.

He didn't pull away, not for awhile. Mai stayed still and stony--well, as much as she could--while his breath grew jagged and he pulled his hand through her long, glossy black hair. A memory or two trickled back into her mind, about how much she loved Zuko, before, but she forced it out with a flood of memories--the memories of what he did to her, after.

He finally pulled away. Mai didn't say anything. She just stared, hard, into his face.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," Zuko said sheepishly. It wasn't much of an apology, though--beneath the thin façade of Zuko's "sorry" face lay a pleased, satisfied, nostalgic face that Mai automatically hated.

"You should know that I have a husband," she said curtly.

Zuko didn't have to say anything--his expression went blank and then it turned to muted rage. Mai went on in that soft voice of hers.

"Yes. Jet. I met him after…afterwards. And he took me in and showed me kindness. And we fell in love." She looked around again, taking in all of the fire nation decorations…the thick, smoky fire lily smell. The dark red drapery that hung over the four posted bed. Zuko's bed.

"You. Married him…? I thought…"

"You thought he was dead," Mai supplied coldly. "Just like you thought _I _was dead." Ah, she hit a chord in Zuko's heart. She watched, content, as his anger melted away, leaving the face of a very sorry and lonely boy.

_So this is how Azula feels_, Mai thought wickedly, _when she derives pleasure from other's pain._ The thought didn't even scare her; she didn't wonder, afraid, if she was turning into another Azula. She hoped that in Zuko's case, she _was _another Azula. He deserved it.

"I never thought--"

"Yes, you did," Mai countered sharply. Now was the time to ask all of the questions that she had been keeping in. "Why the hell am I here?" she inquired in a stony voice. Zuko's eyes drifted to the floor. "Well?" she prompted. He didn't say anything for a long, long time, but when he finally did, Mai's mouth came open with a little _pop _and her eyes got all misty. The time for being Azula was over after what he said.

"I…Jet. Jet thought you were dead so he…please, don't make me say it, Mai," Zuko whispered. "I didn't know that you were married to him."

"Go," Mai ordered in a voice that was just barely audible. "Zuko, just go." _Jet. My Jet…_

"I'm sorry--"

"_Leave!" she said. He was gone and for the first time--well, the first time since The Incident--Mai broke down in tears._


End file.
